Honeymoon & HemisFair 1968

 

Waking up that first morning as Frank’s wife was surreal.  Wondering was it all a dream or reality, and then I heard Frank say, “Good Morning Mrs. L. F. Henderson, Jr.” and I knew it was real.

Frank and I did what we needed to do to get dressed then repacked our suitcases so we could get a start on our first day as Husband and Wife.

I should stop right here and say “thank you” with profound appreciation to my Mom and her good friend, Peggy Goodloe Fisher.  Evidently, they were feeling very naughty while I was in the shower on the day of my wedding. So they sprinkled a huge bag of rice into my suitcase, which I thought I could entrust them with while it was sitting safely and securely in the front hallway of my parent’s home. As they planned and anticipated, the rice got into every crease and cranny of every piece of clothing in my suitcase!  May 9, 1968, would be the beginning of a rice trail my suitcase would leave across Texas

Frank and I did not have a planned out Honeymoon.  Spontaneity was a beautiful part of Frank’s personality. He loved to get in a car then head out without a plan then stopping and exploring along the way.   So when we left the Holiday Inn, we headed North on Highway 35 towards Houston, Texas,  then kept ongoing.

As we drove, Frank and I were talking about our Wedding and discussing who was there, when Frank remembered that his Uncle from DeSoto, Texas, had not been able to come to the Wedding.   Since we were only a few miles from DeSoto during that part of our conversation, Frank and I decided to visit him.

Frank’s Uncle was very surprised when we walked into the bank where he was working.  Frank introduced me to his Uncle, and he told us that he would like to take us out for supper.  When Frank’s Uncle closed the bank, we all headed to his home.  He was really excited to see us and told us that he wanted us to stay the night at his house so we could all go out to eat, visit, and not feel rushed.

Frank’s Uncle took us to a Steakhouse in Dallas to eat supper, which was absolutely a fantastic place.  He ordered Filet Mignon Steak for me.  I had never eaten Filet Mignon, but it has been forever ingrained in my mind now and just how awesome it tastes, but it still takes second place to meeting and visiting with my new Uncle who was just incredible.

The next morning early, we all had breakfast together then Frank, and I got back on the road again.  This time we headed towards Dallas, Tx.  Frank was a big history fan and wanted to see the Book Depository in Dealey Plaza where “supposedly” a single gunman had shot and killed President John F. Kennedy from a window.  We parked and walked in front of that building, talking about what had happened there, and coming to our very own conclusions then we left and headed towards Arlington, Texas where we spent our third night at a Caravan Motel.

The next morning we headed towards San Antonio, Texas, stopping along the way looking in shops. We stopped in Waco, Texas to eat lunch at a place called The Chicken Shack then we continued our drive towards San Antonio but stayed just North of there at a  Rodeway Inn because it had gotten late in the evening.

By now, you probably think I have a great memory. Absolutely not, I just have memorabilia that Frank had saved and put into that “Magical Cedar Chest” for me to be led to find forty-seven years later.

The next morning we got up early and drove into San Antonio.  While on our drive, Frank told me that we were going to the HemisFair, which was the Offical 1968 World’s Fair.  I was shocked and really excited as he was telling me about it. Our priority was to find a place to stay.  We looked for the famous Tower of The Americas, which we did finally see rising high in the skyline above the city of San Antonio then headed in its direction.

Of course, we got lost.  San Antonio is a city where the roads seem to go in circles.  We were without a map, so we stopped and bought one at a filling station.  After traveling in circles and ending up at dead ends,  we decided that we were close enough to the HemisFair to arrive there early the next morning.  We rented a room at a Travelodge where we would stay for the duration of our Honeymoon.

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out at the swimming pool, eating Oreo cookies which we had bought at a little store close by, making plans for the next day, and watching TV in our room but for the life of me, I can not remember what we watched on TV.

The next day we got up early and headed for the HemisFair which we finally made it to after driving in several circles following the roads listed on the map.  We spent the whole day there.  We rode the elevator to the top of The Tower of the Americas, and we ate lunch at the restaurant while we took in the view.  The restaurant revolved letting us see a panoramic sweep of the Texas countryside then we rode the elevator back down and walked through the fair.

Frank won a blue teddy bear for me at one of the game places along the pathway that ran through the booths then he bought me a small winding grandfather’s clock with a key which is only eight inches tall and made in Germany.  It still works, and I still have it fifty years later.

After a full day of walking around the HemisFair and enjoying everything there, we went back to the Travelodge.  The next morning was Mother’s Day, so after breakfast, we called our Moms and wished them a Happy Mother’s Day, then we decided it would be fun to visit the Alamo.

After we visited the Alamo, we went out to eat at a nice restaurant then headed back to the Travelodge to eat Oreo cookies and watch TV.   Sorry, I just don’t remember what we watched on TV.

The next morning Frank and I loaded up our luggage, mine, of course, nearly empty of rice, and headed back to Van Vleck, Texas. We would have less than six days together before Frank would leave for his new Army training at Fort Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts.

Frank and I had made a decision that would not be very popular with others but we decided that I would start attending school again after he left for Ayer, Mass., knowing that I could make up the work I would miss at school but not wanting to spend one minute away from Frank until I had to.

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